pinko, i just signed my 3 yo son up for a dance class that starts next week, i hope its not like that! i was going to have him do gymnastics, but i got to see that class in action and it was all tutus and genderspeak.

Pinko, that is really cruddy! I've worked as a dance teacher for many years, and when teaching young kids, have seen SO many colleagues fall into treating male students differently. One even let the lone boy in the preschool age class go first every time--not taking turns like the kids would if it were only girls--just because he was a boy.

So sorry you're running into that there. But good for you for making a positive experience with Inez anyway.

Yeah I probably wouldn't go back to something like that. Ugh. I don't even love how we see this in more subtle forms.. Like if I dress Vi in something pink or purple and ruffly my MIL, who's a lovely person and partly after raising two boys who are pretty stereotypically boy things just wants someone to share frilly girl stuff with, will just gush with praise of how nice her outfit is, and if it's something not stereotypically girlish, *CRICKETS*. I put her in her adorbs toddler NWUs (navy camo uniform) that match daddy's and when the not-usual-crowd people at baby gym that day finally figured out she was a she (I don't really care about the misidentification so much, though the constant assumption makes me roll my eyes), asked if she had an older brother.

Oi, getting back into the swing of periods/hormones is crazy. I've slept like 11 hours in 3 days (cuz of putting F in her own bed), but I was all task-oriented energy woman today. Now, I would *kill* for a chocolate bar and was getting all hot and bothered by the cute doctor on television yesterday (on a kids program). Don't need no ovulation kit to figure that one out.

Ha! Yeah. The first couple times I was so thrown. Why do I suddenly want to eat ALL THE FOOD while rage punching the malfunctioning vacuum and crying over a cream cheese commercial? Ohhhhh. Right. The 2.5 year hiatus from hormone town was nice while it lasted.

Ha! Yeah. The first couple times I was so thrown. Why do I suddenly want to eat ALL THE FOOD while rage punching the malfunctioning vacuum and crying over a cream cheese commercial? Ohhhhh. Right. The 2.5 year hiatus from hormone town was nice while it lasted.

I hate that people don't think girls and boys can wear/do/like the same kinds of things. My son has a TON of hair (on his 3rd haircut, and he is just 6 months old), so people constantly say "what a sweet little girl" he is. I honestly don't care - especially since at this age you can't tell, but then the next comment for us always seems to be "oh? two boys? you must be ready to have a girl next!" Uh, no. No more children. And I love having two boys. They are wonderful. Ugh, people. Anyway, enough of this topic, right?

My randomness - Z decided last week or around then that he preferred Dad. All the time. This week, it's me. Only me. If Dad holds him, he's grumpy. I have to hold him/play with him/feed him/change his diaper. Dad can't. Ahhhhhhhh. It's so strange!

_________________when you realise how perfect everything is, you will tilt you head back and laugh at the sky. -buddha

Our dog is dying. His cancer came back and it was too progressed this time (surgery removed it 2 years ago), so we knew this was coming. Shae breaks down any time he even thinks Three is acting oddly, but today is the first day he's appeared to be in pain, and it's looking pretty badly right now. I think we might have to put him down tomorrow. We've had him for 10 years next month, he's Shae's best friend.

I can't even imagine. I am really sorry you have to go through this. It is so very hard losing a companion animal as an adult, I can't even imagine how hard it is for a kid. Sending you many good thoughts for tomorrow and the next days.

They are such wonderful companions, and we love them and they love us so unconditionally. Their only flaw is that they don't live nearly long enough.

I have no advice, only many hugs. <3

_________________My oven is bigger on the inside, and it produces lots of wibbly wobbly, cake wakey... stuff. - The PoopieB.

Ha! Yeah. The first couple times I was so thrown. Why do I suddenly want to eat ALL THE FOOD while rage punching the malfunctioning vacuum and crying over a cream cheese commercial? Ohhhhh. Right. The 2.5 year hiatus from hormone town was nice while it lasted.

Taking maca powder and B6 made a huge difference in my PMS mood swings (I no longer had those days of self-loathing where I thought everybody secretly hated me), but I still had the PMS-ADD and went from my usual cleaning and doing lots of stuff to just sitting around like a fruitcake, unable to concentrate on anything (I can't even read when I have bad PMS -- sometimes I can't even surf the internet mindlessly!).

Oh, Kelly, I'm so sorry. That's something that, realistically, we'll probably have to deal with in a few years. I can't imagine. I hope Silas and Shae are able to heal and your pup's remaining time is happy.

Thanks for all the kind words. The vet says it's nearly time but up to us when he looks to in pain. So looks like we have a few more days with our pup. Shae's managing okay, and we've decided to talk to Silas about it on the day of, not before because it will be easier to understand that way.

Life is a bummer sometimes. Oh, and Silas' puking turned out to be the flu.